High school teacher placed on paid leave for telling students to 'turn the n----r tunes off'

Hoover High School teacher Teddie Butcher has been placed on paid administrative leave for using a racial slur in the classroom. (hooverhigh.al.hch.schoolinsites.com)

An Alabama teacher is on paid administrative leave after coming clean about some filthy language she used towards students in the classroom.

Hoover High School has placed Teddie Butcher on administrative leave after she admitted to using the N-word in the classroom, according to AL.com.

Advertisement

Shenita Morrow told the publication that her daughter, a senior at Hoover High School, was playing the song "Dear Mama" by Tupac while working on a project for Butcher's nutrition class on the morning of Jan. 19.

Morrow claims students are generally allowed to play music during Butcher's class.

One parent, Romel Williams, told the outlet that one of her daughters told her about the incident and claimed there had been video of it posted on Snapchat.

Williams' daughters claims an assistant principal made students delete the footage.

A Board of Education meeting was held on Monday, during which Superintendent Kathy Murphy said she was told the song Morrow's daughter was playing was profanity-laden.

Morrow and her daughter also met directly with Butcher and an assistant principal Monday night and claims that Butcher said the same language was used in the song.

While the song does contain two references to drugs, there is no profanity of any kind.

Morrow told AL.com she's certain Butcher was referring to the song her daughter was playing when she used the slur.

Still, she says it's the "comfort level" with which the teacher used the N-word that isn't sitting right with Morrow.

"After meeting with (Butcher), it's just baffling to me how someone does not understand the severity of the weight of that word," she said.

According to the outlet, Butcher issued an apology to the class on Monday.

When asked about specific protocols pertaining to the use of such language, Murphy told AL.com they rely on standards of professionalism to prevent such incidents.

"You certainly have the professionalism, the expectations of faculties and staff and all school personnel to conduct themselves in appropriate, professional, and respectful ways," she explained.

Advertisement

Hoover High School is the largest school in the state of Alabama. The nearly 2,900 person student body is made up of 28% black students, 7% Latino students, 6 % Asian students and 55% white students, the outlet reported.

Murphy said she has no predictions about what the outcome of this case would be. She said she wouldn't know until a full investigation was completed.

Regardless, many students and parents feel there's no place for Butcher or her racial epithets at the school.

"I don't think she belongs at Hoover High School anymore," Williams said.

Hoover High School administrators and Teddie Butcher both did not return the Daily News' request for comment.